If I were to ask you where the first bank robbery murder took place in the United States, your mind would naturally travel to the Old West.
But the first murder during a bank robbery actually occurred in Malden, Massachusetts on December 15, 1863.
And the perpetrator was far from a famed gunslinger. However, he was someone just as dangerous – a desperate opportunist.

At the time, Malden, a few miles north of Boston, was an idyllic, growing town.
The battlefields of the Civil War, where able-bodied men were dying by the thousands lay distant.
The town seemingly outside the reach of such violence.

Edward Green, postmaster of Malden, lived far beyond his means and mismanaged the funds for which he was responsible.
A newlywed with a child due in mere days, he sought out any solution he could find to solve his debt, retain his position and provide for his family.

Frank Converse, aged seventeen, was the bank teller across the street.
The youth was alone in the bank, a pile of cash in plain view.